About Us

I began my roofing career in the mid nineties when I was recruited into the business of chasing hailstorms around the country and replacing roofs for the insurance money paid to homeowners. Almost immediately, I began using my laptop to track and improve my sales, which helped me average just over one hundred sales per season (which usually lasted six months or so). I later got out of the hailstorm chasing business and picked a local company in the Washington, DC area where I settled into a management position.

When I moved into management in the late nineties, it became apparent that there was a growing need for computer software designed specifically for the roofing industry. Over the next few years, I wrote and developed several programs to accomplish this goal.

Today, my “Storm” software is used by many companies across the US to keep up with their jobs, handle their salesman and crew payroll, track and pay their material bills, and keep them apprised of the profit percentages in their jobs.

Likewise, my “Leads” program is used by those same companies to track incoming leads, assign them to specific salesmen, track the current and final dispositions of those leads, and generate reports that break down each salesman’s closing ratios, each advertisers cost per lead, and lead productivity in various areas by each advertiser.

Early on, I developed a “Cost Out” program to help the office determine the profit in each job turned in and make determinations about its profit prior to building the job. The program also printed material orders and labor orders used by the production department. After awhile, it became apparent that it would be better if our salesmen could use it in the field to price out the job prior to giving the estimate and signing the contract. This was quite a challenge.

Over time, feedback from our sales force, and my personal use of the software in the field caused me to improve the software until it finally evolved into the program we know today as the Roof Geek Estimate Software.

I had never sold any of my programs for a profit. I gave them to my friends in the industry, who because of my roots in the hail-chasing business, were scattered all across the country. By that time most of them owned their own companies. But, as positive feedback began to roll in, it soon became apparent that the estimate software was something special.

The typical call went something like this: “Neal, I have this friend in (pick a state) who saw me use your estimate software and he really wants a copy of it. He says he’ll pay you anything you want. What should I tell him?” Or: “Neal, I don’t work for Jim anymore. I’m working for Pete now. I was telling him about your estimate software and he wants to get it for all of his salesmen. Would you consider letting us use it? We’re willing to pay you for it.”

And then, of course, greed set in. I started re-writing the program with the intent of selling it. And that’s just what I did. Today, the growing demand for the software has caused me to abandon my roofing career altogether. I have found that I simply can’t do both. I am currently re-writing the original “Storm” software and the “Leads” software, combining them into one program. I hope to have it on the market sometime in late 2005.

I never intended for Roof Geek to be all things to all people. I have learned from using other commercial software that, the more bases one tries to cover, the more complicated and cumbersome the software becomes. I tried, at every turn, to keep Roof Geek simple and easy to use in the field. A salesman only has so much time in front of a potential customer’s house to price out a job and generate a professional estimate.

As a side note, it is important for you to remember that using the software in the field doesn’t require a huge investment in hardware. My salesmen use the least expensive laptops they can find (usually around $750 after rebate), and printers (usually under $75). To power the laptop and printer, they use the least expensive 400 watt inverter they can buy (usually under $60). The extras: Most of my guys have purchased stands for their laptops that can be mounted in their trucks without drilling any holes (it is secured using the existing passenger seat bolts). These stands usually cost around $300, but they are well worth it. Also, most of us purchase a GPS device to hook into our laptops (usually under $100). Add this all up and you’ll find that you can fully equip your truck and purchase the Roof Geek Software for less than your commission on 3 to 5 average sales. And if Roof Geek doesn’t help you make several times that number of additional sales in the first few weeks, you’re doing something very wrong.

I consider the Roof Geek Estimate Software to still be in its infancy. I fully expect that, over the next several years, consumer feedback will necessitate constant revisions and improvements. I truly appreciate such feedback, and would like to take this opportunity to invite you to provide it. I take suggestions and criticisms very seriously, so please be brutally honest. You won’t hurt my feelings.

Good Luck and Happy Selling

Neal Middleton